Check out the progress at the Curbly House! Demolition is done, and framing is mostly complete. I've been working on a project in the basement, and painting is well under way in the rooms that aren't in need of any structural work. Here's a quick visual progress tour:
But as the baby grew bigger and we finally started being able to distinguish between night and day, things started to happen around the house. So here's a long-overdue update on where things stand with the Curbly House, and what's coming up next. Here we go!
Sandra had a bit of wasted space under a staircase. She framed it in to make a closet and then constructed a 'whimsical' facade, which transformed it into the playhouse
Marla and Colin's small full bathroom had issues. Besides only having one sink, the floor slanted which resulted in tub water not draining, the lighting was bad and the drop down ceiling made things a little "close". They (wisely) took a year to save and plan. Here's how the project played out.
Have an unfinished attic? Want to finish it? Check out these gorgeous spaces for some inspiration!
I-Beam's Pallet House is indeed made out of shipping pallets. The original design was to provide temporary housing for refugees, however the same building concept could make very cool garden sheds and backyard studios too. According to Inhabitat, a basic 16" x 16" pallet home can be made with 100 pallets.
For more information about this and other pallet homes, visit Green Upgrader.
Boots and Totty's baby, Van, was on his way. The only thing separating their bedroom from the nursery was a six-foot opening - no door. Any new parent knows that will NEVER do.
Sean Orlando and crew decided to build a Steampunk treehouse at The Burning Man Festival. Aside from all of the artistic implications, who could them for going to a little extra trouble in order to have some 'downtime' from the chaos of 25,000 artsy partiers?
Okay ladies, listen up. Susan Herr of Burlington, Vermont took a weekend tiny house building workshop last fall and subsequently built a tiny house with her own two hands. I mean, seriously, how utterly inspiring is THAT?? According to
Our itchy, smelly, terrier mutt Chip is having all sorts of skin issues in this hot weather. Even with his new crew cut and gourmet baths, sometimes he just wreaks and the fabric covered pillow bed I made him isn't smelling so fresh either. So, I'm liking MonkeyBoy 13's easy, breezy dog cot made out of PVC pipe and canvas. Chip could lounge up off the ground, air moving all around him, plus enjoy the comfort of the sling-like cot. One thing I may design differently is...
If you see really beautifully turned wooden bowls, like at an art fair, stop and take a look. It's easy to overlook how much time goes into making a wood bowl on a lathe. This has to be due to the abundance of mass-produced, zero personality wooden bowls on the market.
Aeray is a professional carpenter, furniture maker, designer and builder and he's frustrated with the overbuilding and over-engineering done on simple DIY projects. His goal for his tutorial on Instructables is to illustrate how to simply and inexpensively build a multipurpose platform deck that can be used for a queen sized bed, a futon mattress, or a waterproofed, cushioned poolside lounger (as suggested by one commenter).
Back in 1915, Myron G. Burton made his claim to fame by writing a book entitled,
What would impel a guy to DIY a castle? Oh, I don't know, maybe being inspired by a beautiful stone in the road, gratitude for divine intervention, or maybe fifteen years of prison for not converting from catholic to protestent. Or, maybe you just start mixing up cement and goat's milk and start slapping together old car parts, telephone poles and rail tracks. Next thing you know, you've got yourself a castle. Read more...
Photos: Popluar Mechanics
We've all seen photos of amazing tree house architecture, but nothing compares to this dad's tender narrative of building his kids' their own backyard tree fort. The next best thing to letting his kids build it themselves is reading about his recollection of the construction of his own childhood perch with his neighborhood friends, an all but extinct experience these days. His story, intertwined with a descriptive How To, evoked sweet memories of my own childhood summers filled with treacherous climbs up to our homemade shack and our summer long attempts to make it cozier by adding carpet, floor tiles, and eventually shingles.
Stock wood trim is one of the best kept secrets at the home improvement store. If you've seen the choices of wood molding available but you don't really know how you can use it, check out these design and architectural elements for some DIY inspiration. All you'll need to get started is an inexpensive miter box, some wood glue, nails and a tape measure.
Jeez, I barely got the idea out of my head and the creative and resourceful folks at The Brick House already built the snazziest wood slat screen for their porch. As you can see, it looks ultra sleek outside, but looking out from inside the porch is even better.
How are you all ever going to get that chair reupholstered without a proper upholstery height workbench? The right tools are a must. You see, upholstering on the floor is no good. You get up and down and have to flip and lift furniture to get all around it. A normal table height is no good either, a chair is way too high up to get the leverage you need. Now there's an answer. Just follow my simple instructions and photos of the Mr. making my stowable upholstery workbench. The legs are removable and it can be hidden away in a closet or under a bed. Ingenius! Patent attorney????
Here's what you need:
One 28 x 28 3/4" plywood or birch veneer plywood (Lowe's will make straight cuts for you)
Approximately 120" of 1"x 1" pine trim
Liquid Nails or other wood glue
4 furniture leg plates (with screws)
4 16" square furniture legs
Drill, drill bit and phillips head attachment
Miter saw or hand saw and miter box
Clamps or braces
4 3 x 3 pieces of scrap wood
What you do:
1. Measure, cut and miter the 1x1 trim pieces to fit around the 28" square
2. Apply glue to the edge of the wood square and press trim pieces in place
3. Attach clamps to hold the trim in place
4. Glue a piece of 3 x3 scrap wood on each corner where the leg plates will be attached
5. Measure and mark where the leg plate screws go
6. Attach leg plates
7. Screw on the legs
8. Add a piece of carpeting on the inside of your upholstery workbench to keep the chair from sliding
9. When done, unscrew legs, slide the legs and top under the bed
From Stillwater Dwellings in Bend, Oregon, this 2,950 s.f. prefab should sway any prefab-nay-sayers. Take a look inside: